Riverside
by bearsrawesome
Summary: While Glenn and Daryl are away from camp they're attacked and Daryl is captured. Glenn returns to the prison and the others formulate a plan to save him but will they make it in time? Will someone from Daryl's past change everything? Daryl whump NO SLASH Be warned there is swearing
1. Chapter 1

Glenn sat alone in his cell contemplating his life. The darkness pressed in around him and he was reminded of his time in Woodbury, the torture he and Maggie had been forced to endure. Thank goodness the group had rescued them in time, even if Glenn did feel slightly guilty for Daryl's capture. Although Daryl had been reunited with his brother, for better or for worse and he had proven where his loyalties lay, returning to the group even though he could have left with Merle. He felt sympathy that Daryl had lost Merle so soon afterwards but also a great sense of relief that now nobody could pull Daryl from the group and separate the high functioning team again.

Rick still seemed a little shaken, especially after Andrea's death, and he was constantly worrying about the Governor. Whenever he was awake he was pouring over countless maps, trying to pinpoint possible base locations and sending scouts to check them out before preparing contingency plans and setting up all kinds of defence blockades. Not that Glenn particularly blamed him of course, that was the way things were these days and while the Governor was one seriously messed up individual- bordering on bat-shit crazy-he was still incredibly dangerous and a lot smarter than a bunch of walking corpses. Glenn couldn't remember the last time Rick had gotten a good night sleep, even after no news of any attacks-both from survivors and Walkers- for nearly a month.

Herschel and Beth were settling in well, taking their time to care for the new members of the group-the outcasts from Woodbury-though everyone else seemed to avoid them, especially Daryl and Carl. Glenn got the feeling that Carl just didn't trust that the old people wouldn't just peg it and turn; they sometimes looked like Walkers despite being alive, but Daryl just seemed nervous around them, like they brought back uncomfortable memories.

Michonne generally avoided everyone but Beth-whom she had grown incredibly close to since Andrea's death-and clocked it down to her just being cautious, not wanting to become overly committed to the group in case she was forced to move on. No one had said a word to her about the whole fight with the Governor, though Daryl did seem to treat her with an air of equality and a grudging respect which was difficult to win with the badass redneck. Glenn was surprisingly proud to be counted among those few, even if Daryl would send some humorous, demeaning comments about his Asian heritage sometimes. He had appeared even more impressed when Glenn and Maggie had recounted the story of their imprisonment at Woodbury to the group, increasingly so after Glenn explained his defeat of the Walker whilst unarmed and bound to a chair, Daryl even ignoring any rude comments Glenn accidently added about his late brother's treatment of prisoners.

Maggie was being the most complicated of all, retreating back into herself more than usual; obviously traumatised by her experience, even though she had seemed to have handled it quite well at the time. Apparently she had confessed to Carol her feelings about the incident but Glenn had avoided confronting her about it; lest she take offence or become even more distant. Their relationship and love for each other hadn't waned though, and they both eagerly anticipated the right moment to choose their wedding day. Maggie had chosen Beth as her maid of honour and Glenn was determined to make Daryl his best man; although neither had plucked up the courage to ask either one in case something happened in between that resulted in a denied hope. A few nights ago they had both agreed that Rick should be the one to do the whole vicar deal, while Carl would act as ring bearer and Carol as Maggie's chief bridesmaid. Herschel was of course going to walk up the isle with his daughter, for which he had been adamant when Maggie had asked him, despite his leg injury.

Glenn grinned dreamily, absorbed in his own envisionment of a perfect white wedding, with Maggie in a beautiful, flowing dress that made her glow like an angel. Everyone dressed in tailored suits and dresses, though Glenn struggled to picture Daryl-with his rough-tough, dirty exterior- in a fancy, pressed suit. Glenn felt his face fall as Judith's hollow cries echoed down the hall and he realised how impossible his dream was; seeing as the world had fallen apart. They barely had enough food and water sometimes, let alone ironed, fresh clothes free of dirt and grime. No matter how hard Carol and Beth scrubbed, there were always remnants of past battles, gory deaths and horrifying situations. Daryl and Rick's clothes were always the worst, being the most intense, and battle active members of the group; they wore darker colours and changed their outer wear more regularly than the others, more for the group's sake than their own.

Climbing off his bed, Glenn tiptoed down the hallway and into the main room, where Beth, Rick and Carol were huddled around the baby; trying to quieten her loud, wailing cries. Carl was slouched in the corner, hands over his ears, in a pathetic attempt to block out the noise as he read some book he had probably found in one of the prisons property lockers. Glenn was unsure whether someone should check that material; seeing as this had been a prison filled with some unsavoury characters before all Hell broke loose, but dismissed the idea-the kid had seen much worse in real life to be compared to any fiction and Rick obviously wasn't particularly concerned by the prospect of his son reading any adult themes. Michonne and the others were nowhere in sight, though Glenn knew that Maggie was helping Herschel treat patients in their makeshift infirmary and that Daryl had gone to get some much needed shuteye. Judith continued to scream, the high pitch screeching echoing off the stone walls and giving Glenn a dull headache, if anyone had been asleep in the entire complex, they weren't now.

As if on cue, Daryl stormed into the room; his eyes wide and fierce, masking the heavy, dark bags under his eyes that hinted he had been in a deep, exhausted sleep.

"Wha' the hell is all this racket for, lil' Asskicker?" Daryl said, his voice tired and raspy "Some of us need our beauty sleep."

Taking the baby gently from Rick's arms, Daryl cradled the little girl; her crying dying down in an instant and everyone revering in the blissful silence. The rough, messy redneck looked out of place with the tiny, delicate baby, draped in white cloth but Glenn could see the calm happiness in Daryl's face as he gently rocked the baby girl, lulling her into a peaceful sleep. The others watched curiously, smiling subtly as they watched the group's hunter work his unusual magic. Finally, Daryl seemed satisfied Judith was asleep and shuffled toward the cradle, tenderly handing the baby back to her father before he in turn laid the baby down once again. Exchanging a few words and Rick giving Daryl a grateful clap on the back, Daryl turned away, rubbing his bleary eyes as he approached Glenn.

"Well I 'ain't gonna get back to sleep anytime soon," Daryl drawled, yawning slightly "How bought you and I head down to da river and clean up? Been dying for a shower all week."

Glenn smiled widely, adjusting the soft cap on his head "Sounds good. I'll get my stuff while you tell Rick and the others where we're headed; meet you by the gates in five."

Daryl nodded briefly, a wry smile on his face as he stretched out, grabbing his crossbow off the table and returning to Rick; who by now was stood at a nearby table, analysing yet another map of the area. With a stressful sigh, Glenn turned around, hurrying for his cell once again to grab his bag and some supplies in case of an emergency and then walking toward the entrance; pulling a gun out of the security locker at the back of the room before kicking open the large doors and heading out into the open sunlight.

It was surprisingly hot for early spring and the sun was high in the sky to signify it was around noon. A cool breeze fluttered through the yard, carrying with it a few dead leaves from the ending winter. Daryl already stood by the prison gate, his trusty motorcycle propped up beside him, looking like a mobster from a modern day, famous gangster movie. Without another word, Glenn opened the front gate, and climbed on behind Daryl as they took off, the engine purring as they sped down the open tarmac, avoiding Walkers as they went.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl had to love the smell of petrol and the rush of the wind on his face as the motorcycle powered down the empty road. It was almost comforting, a feeling of normalcy-from before the world went to hell- where he and Merle would flee from the police on his infamous bike. Of course, Daryl was never driving and Merle would always call him a 'pussy' and push him off-sometimes while the bike was still moving- before either getting caught and having his ass hauled back to prison or losing the cops in a dramatic chase that made the news. Surprisingly it was mostly the latter, mostly because Merle had been a crazy sonuvabitch in his time, renowned for his insane tactics. Daryl had always respected him for that, even if he did think he was a serious prick; especially after the whole skipping out of 'dodge' when their Ma died and Pa started getting…well, whatever it was. It didn't matter anyway, it happened, wasn't happening anymore, so Daryl didn't care.

He swerved to avoid a Walker who suddenly stumbled from behind a burnt out car and felt Glenn cling more tightly to him. Ha, the Asian was actually scared, should have seen Merle's driving. The number of times Daryl had been thrown off when Merle nearly crashed and been left alone and injured in the dust while his brother continued-laughing his head off the entire time-were too many to count. Daryl often had to limp back through the trees, avoiding cops and their damn hounds whilst he slowly bled out. Daryl grinned at the strangely fond memory as his hands caressed the smooth rubber of the handlebars, the cool recollections mixing with his thoughts as he rode on confidently, ignoring the steady bumps of the broken tarmac.

The dirt pathway came into view and Daryl turned off quickly, slowing as they approached the most uncomfortable part of their journey and bounced over the banks toward the sound of rushing water. Daryl cut the engine and Glenn loosened his grip around his waist as they rolled to a halt at the edge of the small embankment. The water shone and gurgled in the light of the dying sun, reflecting their images perfectly on the almost completely smooth surface. Glenn hopped off first, following the usual pattern and wandering down the left side, cautiously checking for any sign of danger. Daryl followed his lead and moved down the right, fingers settling on his crossbow anxiously. He kept Glenn warily in sight at all times, just in case, but after ten minutes they both deemed the area clear and met together at the bike.

"You can go first, short-round, ya need a bath more th'n me. I'll keep an eye out for ya'; jus' don't take too long." Daryl sniggered, slipping down onto a tree stump and gesturing for Glenn to continue.

"Don't worry, I won't peek." he chuckled, Glenn smiling back as he nodded and removed his boots.

Daryl turned discreetly away, though it was a wasted action because he could still see Glenn getting undressed, no privacy when you had to be cautious. Glenn was careful with his cap, throwing it to Daryl, who placed it down beside him and continued scanning the area as Glenn slid his top over his chest and pulled down his trousers. In case they did get attacked, they never went completely naked and for that Daryl was thankful, didn't want anyone calling him 'queer' when he had to watch a guy get changed, even if it was for his safety. The water rippled as Glenn waded in, gasping slightly at the cold sensation on his skin as the water flowed past his shoulders. The woods were quiet as Daryl fiddled with his arrows absentmindedly and Glenn washed the dirt from his skin.

"So Daryl, how you holding up?" Glenn asked rather politely, splashing in the water.

Daryl frowned at him "Fine. Why?"

There was a slight blush in Glenn's cheeks not in awkwardness but a fearful, shame "It's just you haven't told anyone what happened to Merle. I mean I know he's…gone, but you know, it might help if you shared?"

"Merle's dead. Found 'im as one of them. Killed it. End of story."

Glenn bit his lip as he scrubbed his left arm "I'm really sorry for your loss."

Daryl smirked, glancing up to the sky before looking down at the skinny Asian once again.

"Why? You hated the guy; good reason too. He was a right prick and the Governor's bitch."

Glenn laughed softly, obviously unsure whether Daryl was joking or not and slowly rose from the water. Daryl leant over, tossing his clothes to him as the young man nodded in gratitude and pulled the T-shirt over his head and put on his trousers. With a sign, Daryl stood, holding his hand out to help tug him up the steep incline before sliding off his own heavy boots.

Daryl hesitated, unsure whether he was confident enough to take his shirt off and reveal his scars but quelled the unease and threw it on the ground behind him as he jumped into the water. He was vaguely aware of Glenn gasping as he spotted the marks on his back as he plunged into the water and ducked his head under. Wiping his hand back through the wavy matt, he broke the surface of the water, taking deep breaths as the shockingly cold water stole his breath for a few moments. Shoulders still under, Daryl wriggled a little, feeling the goosebumps spread across his pale skin as he dived again for good measure. Noticing, Glenn had gone silent he turned to face his friend, his expression blank as he squinted against the burning sunlight.

"What were those of your back?" Glenn asked horrified, his voice unexpectedly confident given who he was addressing.

Daryl wiped the liquid from his eyes, reluctant to explain and cursing his carelessness.

"Don't matter now. The past." he replied almost mysteriously, running his hands across his rough skin and sharp stubble.

"The past? Mind telling me about it, someone may as well know." Glenn spoke quietly, staring at Daryl expectantly.

"Let's just say my Pa 'ain't the nicest man to ever bless the earth."

Glenn pursed his lips, unsatisfied with the answer "When did it start?"

Daryl hesitated for a moment, scrutinising the young man before continuing.

"My Ma committed suicide when I was nine; wanted t' escape an unforgivin' dick for a husband. Tried to take me with 'er but Pa pulled me outta' the water."

Daryl let his head fall back, staring through the canopy of trees above into the now pinky-orange flecked sky.

"The beatin's started pretty soon after tha'-well, the bad ones anyway- began with Merle but he took off as soon as he could, lucky bastard."

Glenn remained silent and he could feel the Korean's eyes burning holes in the side of his face as he let the water swell around him.

"Left when I was sixteen and never looked back. I was tired of being called a worthless piece of shit anyway. Thought abou' taking off after Ma for a long while, but occasionally Merle would come back an' tell me to wait jus' a lil' longer; so I kept goin'."

Daryl cocked his head to one side and looked at Glenn intently as he processed the story. The man was obviously affected, his brow furrowed into a worried frown and he was chewing the inside of his cheek.

"Ya gonna say somethin'or jus' stand ther' gawping?" Daryl demanded half-heartedly, emerging from the pool and getting dressed before Glenn could even spit a word out.

"Woah Daryl…I never knew…I mean we all guessed but never really…" Glenn stammered, visibly struggling to form and appropriate sentence in reply.

"Na' it's fine, I 'ave a better family now anyway." Daryl whispered genuinely, hiding his face in embarrassment before dispelling the emotion and grinning at the other man

"Now what we doin' still standin' here? Rick and Maggie will probably be shittin' themselves with worry and we wouldn't want that now, would we?"

Glenn gave an amused and apologetic smile, climbing back onto the leather seat on the bike as they sat down, Daryl restarting the engine and letting the tire spin wildly as they spun a tight U-shape and started back toward the prison. Daryl had never imagined his harmless shower trip, ending up like this.


End file.
